The Firmae
The Firmae are a formidable race of ant people that have spread to almost every part of the world. The Firmae are a race of almost exclusively females; the males are considered a commodity among the colony. The Firmae pose a threat almost everywhere, as they've colonized almost every place in the world. A newfound colony of firmae is almost always a top concern for nearby settlements, as once a colony grows they will rapidly push into neighboring territory and show no mercy in their conquest. Although somewhat humanoid in appearance, the Firmae's physiology is ''vastly ''different from our own. In fact, they're more similar to ants than they are humans. They stand at an average of 4-5 feet tall upright, sporting four chitin arms and two legs attached to a torso. Below their torso is an abdomen containing most of their organs. They communicate by chittering through their mandibled mouths and through using pheromone glands to leave messages for their comrades. And, having all undergone varying levels of transmutation as larvae, firmae can become hulking behemoths, faux cattle or sleuthy smallmen. Each Firmae colony operates as one unified organism, and each firma as a part in the machine. As such, individual colonies act as efficient masses hell-bent on dominating and securing territory. Each colony works individually, constantly warring for the same resources. This inter-species conflict is one of the only things keeping the Firmae from becoming a world-threatening menace. There are four primary sectors in a firmae colony: * The Internal, the homebound force that fuels and maintains the colony behind safe borders. * The Ward, the guardians of the colony's territory and the Internal. * The Arms, the colony's external force for conquering, expanding and reconnaissance. * The Province, the driving force behind the colony and home to all of the colony's royalty. The Internal The beating heart of a Firmae people lies in the secure, stable environment of their colony. The colony's workers tend to the land they've taken as their own; there, they build, breed, farm, and manufacture. The Internal's size isn't necessarily proportional to the colony's territory. The Internal is composed of as much space as the colony's Ward can reasonably protect; even so much as irregular interruptions to work can drastically hinder the colony's strength. The Internal is populated with the colony's worker class. There, workers toil away to provide for the entirety. Although workers are typically average-looking firmaens, there are a number of saltered variants that fit their own niches. You will also find tall hulking workers who transport large goods such as lumber and build fortifications. You will also find firmae that have become a strange take on cattle, grazing on grass and laying large eggs. A majority of an Interior is generally dedicated to the cultivation of resources, whether that be farming, breeding, mining, etc. in order to provide a stable income for the colony's entirety and to strengthen the Arms and Ward. The Ward The Ward is both the homebound defense of the colony's Interior and the colony's eyes and ears for their uninhabited territory, countering unwelcome invaders and threats and mapping out unoccupied land. A colony's Ward is divided into two duties: the constant patrol of the colony's external, and the guarding of the colony's Internal and Province. Wardens frequently alternate between performing both duties in order to maintain a consistent level of navigation in all of their units. The Arms The Arms is a colony's force for taking the offensive abroad. A single Arm is a group of soldiers under a queen's rule that ventures out as a collective in order to serve their queen, ranging in size from a small squad to a large battalion. The Arms tend to have the highest population of higher-tiered firmae compared to the other sectors in a colony Category:The Firmae